Part I — The Schedule · FAR 15.204-2(a) · FAR 14.201-2(a)

Solicitation/Contract Form

Also known as: Cover page; the SF 33, SF 1449, SF 1442, or SF 26

Your role here: Where the solicitation (and later the contract) is signed

At a Glance

Part: Part I — The Schedule
What it contains: The cover form: solicitation number, dates, and signature blocks
Common forms: SF 33 (negotiated), SF 1449 (commercial), SF 1442 (construction)
You…: Sign it — your signature here makes your offer binding
Governing authority: FAR 15.204-2(a); FAR 14.201-2(a) for sealed bidding

What It Is

Section A is the front page of the solicitation — the Standard Form that frames the whole deal. On a negotiated (FAR Part 15) buy it is usually the SF 33, Solicitation, Offer and Award; on a commercial acquisition it is the SF 1449; on construction it is the SF 1442; on a simplified award it may be the SF 1447 or SF 26. Under FAR 15.204-2(a) this section identifies the solicitation by number, states the issuing office, gives the date and time offers are due, and provides the blocks where the offeror signs its offer and the contracting officer signs the award. It is short, but it is legally load-bearing: your signature in the offeror block is what turns your proposal from a draft into a binding offer the government can accept, and the same form becomes the face page of the awarded contract once the CO signs it. Because the SF 33 combines solicitation, offer, and award on one form, the identical document travels from the day the solicitation posts to the day the contract is awarded.

What’s In It

The solicitation number and the issuing contracting office.
The exact date and time offers or bids are due — the deadline that governs everything.
The offeror signature block (SF 33 blocks 15A–17) — sign here to make your offer binding.
The award block (SF 33 blocks 18–28), completed by the contracting officer at award.
Whether the acquisition is set aside and, if so, for which program.

What Goes Here

Component	What It Means
The standard form	The SF 33, SF 1449, SF 1442, or SF 26 is the actual cover form. Which one you see tells you a lot — an SF 1449 signals a commercial (FAR Part 12) buy that will not follow the full Uniform Contract Format.
The offer due date and time	The single most important date on the page. A proposal received after the stated time is late and, with narrow exceptions, cannot be considered under FAR 15.208.
The offeror signature	Your signature in the offer block binds your firm to the terms and prices in the proposal. An unsigned offer, or one signed by someone without authority, can be rejected.
The award signature	The contracting officer's signature in the award block is what forms the contract. Until the CO signs, there is no contract — no matter what you have been told.

What It Means for an SDVOSB

For an SDVOSB, Section A is where two make-or-break details live: the deadline and the set-aside designation. Read the due date and time first and build your whole schedule backward from it — a technically superior proposal submitted a minute late is simply late, and the CO usually cannot accept it. Second, Section A (with the SF 1449 or SF 33 blocks and the notice of set-aside) tells you whether the buy is an SDVOSB set-aside, which determines whether you are even eligible to compete and whether the limitations on subcontracting will apply. Finally, make sure the person who signs the offer block has the authority to bind your company; a common small-business stumble is an unsigned or improperly signed cover page that knocks an otherwise strong offer out on a technicality.

Watch Out For

Missing the due date and time in the blocks — everything keys off it, and late is late under FAR 15.208.
Submitting an unsigned SF 33/SF 1449 — an offer that is not signed by an authorized official can be rejected.
Assuming a verbal 'you've got it' is award — only the contracting officer's signature in the award block forms the contract.
Overlooking amendments — if the CO issues an SF 30 amendment, you usually must acknowledge it on the cover form or in your offer, or risk being nonresponsive.

Run the Numbers

Set-Aside Eligibility Checker →

Frequently Asked

What is Section A of a federal solicitation?

Section A is the cover page of a solicitation under the Uniform Contract Format (FAR 15.204-2(a)). It is the Standard Form — the SF 33 for negotiated buys, the SF 1449 for commercial acquisitions, or the SF 1442 for construction — that identifies the solicitation number and issuing office, states the date and time offers are due, and provides the signature blocks. Your signature in the offeror block makes your offer binding; the contracting officer's signature in the award block forms the contract. On an SF 33, the same form serves as solicitation, offer, and award.

Do I have to sign Section A?

Yes. On the SF 33 (or SF 1449) you must sign the offeror block, and the signer must have authority to bind your company. An unsigned offer, or one signed by someone without that authority, can be rejected as nonconforming. If the solicitation has been amended by an SF 30, you generally also have to acknowledge each amendment — often on the cover form — or your offer may be found nonresponsive.

Primary Sources

Plain-English reference, not legal advice. The Uniform Contract Format is tailored by agencies, and the FAR sections that define it are amended from time to time — always read the actual solicitation and confirm each section against the official source before relying on it, and consult qualified counsel for your specific situation.

Last updated Jul 5, 2026Update cadence: Quarterly, plus on FAR amendment

Change log (1)

Jul 5, 2026
LaunchedPublished the federal solicitation sections reference covering the thirteen sections of the Uniform Contract Format under FAR 15.204 — Section A (the SF 33 / SF 1449 cover form), B (prices and CLINs), C (the statement of work / PWS / SOO), D (packaging and marking), E (inspection and acceptance), F (deliveries and period of performance), G (contract administration data and invoicing), H (special contract requirements), I (the FAR clauses, including the SDVOSB set-aside and limitations on subcontracting), J (the list of attachments and wage determinations), K (representations and certifications, where SDVOSB status is certified), L (instructions to offerors), and M (evaluation factors for award) — each with an at-a-glance quick-facts card, a what's-in-it list, a what-goes-here table, an SDVOSB-specific angle, watch-outs, FAQPage, Article, Dataset, and BreadcrumbList structured data, primary-source FAR citations, and cross-links into the glossary, how-to guides, forms, clauses, solicitation types, source-selection methods, FAQ, and the set-aside eligibility, win-probability, price-to-win, and limitations-on-subcontracting calculators.